Tomboy in a dress HIATUS
by AiraSora
Summary: Arnold is an aspiring teacher who has just gotten his first job. Little does he know that being the newest and youngest teacher is going to be the least of his problems. Four students are ready to make his life miserable and one of them in particular is doing a good job at messing with his head. Will he be able to stay true to his heart and still not jeopardize his job? HIATUS!
1. Four-leaf clover of little monsters

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

 **They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

 **Title: "Tomboy in a dress"**

 **Summary:** _ **Arnold is an aspiring teacher who has just gotten his first job. Little does he know that being the newest and youngest teacher is going to be the least of his problems. Four students are ready to make his life miserable and one of them in particular is doing a good job at messing with his head. Will he be able to stay true to his heart and still not jeopardize his job?**_

 **Author's 1** **st** **note: Ok, so this first author's note is gonna be pretty long, but please do read through it before reviewing (especially if you're gonna be asking questions because your question will probably be answer here.)**

 **First of all, boy oh boy, have I been looking forward to starting this because A) it'll be my first long-term story in a while. B) it's going to be a little different than my usual stories and C) it's my very first crossover! When it comes to FanFiction that is. So, this is a crossover between Hey Arnold! and Bully: Scholarship edition and while some may be here for the Bully aspect, I'm sure most of the readers will be here because of Hey Arnold! which is also why I need to inform some things here from the beginning.**

 **To those of you who do NOT know the plot behind Bully: You don't have to go and play the game, watch a let's play or even see the cut scenes on YouTube. You don't need to know these characters or their backgrounds in order to follow this story, I'll make sure to introduce them all to you as new characters. This counts for those of you who might be here because of Bully as well, you don't need to get to know Hey Arnold! in order to understand this.**

 **To those of you who DO know the plot behind Bully: Everything that happened in the game has NOT happened in this story and will not happen. Gary is not interested in taking over the school, Jimmy doesn't hate him (as such, that'll be clearer in the story itself) and Zoe was never expelled. FYI, those are the three characters from Bully that'll be most important in this story, but the others will be in it as well. And another important thing to mention here: Despite Gary saying in Bully that he has ADD, I have chosen to "remove" that from his character in this story. Instead, I've made it a sort of "secret" what he suffers from because, frankly, nothing about his character tells us he has ADD and his psychotic behavior cannot be because of ADD because that's not what ADD is about. Also, I don't want to trample on anyone who may suffer from a mental disease, even if it wasn't my choice to give Gary ADD in the original story in Bully. So, Gary has a mental disease in my story, but it will never be said explicitly. And he might be a little OOC in the beginning of this, but he'll soon grow to be the psycho we all love to hate and hate to love.**

 **Speaking of characters, Arnold and Helga are basically the only characters from Hey Arnold! that will be in this story, the rest are from Bully. Gerald will be in the story though from time to time, mostly as Arnold's best friend and advisor, so to speak. The story is focused on Arnold and Helga though.**

 **About the genres, if I could choose as many as possible, it would be: Drama, romance, hurt/comfort, humor and angst. I'm telling you this mostly to give you an idea what this story is going to be about without giving away the plot. With that being said I will, like I have done in my earlier stories, write in the first author's note if something "questionable" or "provoking" will happen in the chapter you are about to read. When I write a warning like that, you can go to the second author's note and read EXACTLY what will happen in this chapter that I want to warn you about. I am doing this to make sure to not traumatize anyone who might be weak of heart, squeamish or basically just want to get a fair warning. I am not gonna let anyone tell me that I didn't warn them.**

 **Rated M because of language, violence and explicit sex. And I think that's enough babbling for now! Please enjoy the very first chapter of "Tomboy in a dress"**

 **[Please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 1: "Four-leaf clover of little monsters"

"So, you nervous?" a man asked before he took a sip from the coffee that was as dark as his skin was. The man he was asking though was fidgeting with the cream container that matched his skin much more. He gave a nervous chuckle as he poured the cream into his coffee.

"I've moved out of my childhood home, I'm in a town I've never been in before and I know absolutely no one here." He declared as he ran his fingers through his blonde hair. "The word nervous doesn't quite cut it."

"This may not be Hillwood, Arnold, but you're gonna be fine. You always come out on top."

"At least one of us have faith in me."

"Where did the Arnold that always looks on the bright side go?"

"He's still here, he's just a little freaked out." Arnold replied with a smirk. "But it helps that you could meet with me before my first day, Gerald."

"Well, you don't have time to be freaked out. It's your first day at…" Gerald said dramatically, but then scrunched his eyes thoughtfully. "Uh, what's the school called again?"

"Bullworth Academy. It's named after the town and thank God for that."

"Why?"

"Because the principal is called Dr. Crabblesnitch. Imagine if the school was named after _him_." Arnold said with a low snicker. It wasn't fair to make fun of the man's name he knew, but he did have to keep his laughing down the first time he heard it.

"Crabblesnitch? The students must bully him all the time! The school's nickname would quickly become Crapacademy!" Gerald declared, not caring that his own mocking was rude.

"He's the principal, Gerald. I don't think he hangs out with the students too much." Arnold insisted and took a deep breath. "I hope I'll do ok."

"Why are you so goddamn nervous anyway?" Gerald asked with his eyebrows knitted together.

"Really?" Arnold asked sarcastically. "First day at not just new, but _first_ job isn't enough?"

"I thought your age might be a reason too." Gerald teased. "You must be the youngest teacher at that school."

"Don't remind me." Arnold said with a chuckle. "I'm afraid that both the students and my colleagues will think that my inexperience means I can't handle this."

"Oh, please. You're the most brilliant 20-year-old miles about. And let's be honest, the students will love a younger teacher." Gerald insisted, but Arnold wasn't truly convinced.

"Even the seniors?"

"Especially the seniors." Gerald said suggestively and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Gerald." Arnold said in a warning tone.

"What? It'd be perfectly legal. The seniors are, what, 17-18?"

"It's _not_ legal. A teacher and a student isn't allowed no matter what age the student is."

"You're no fun." Gerald said playfully.

"I'm not gonna jeopardize this job just to fuel your dirty fantasies." Arnold said jokingly and looked at his clock. "Speaking of which, I _will_ be jeopardizing this job if I don't leave right now."

Both men finished their coffee in one gulp, paid their bills and then left Old Bullworth Vale Coffee House. After Arnold had thanked Gerald once again for meeting with him so early in the morning and Gerald had told him it was the least he could do as the best friend, they both went to their separate cars. Arnold sat inside the Packard for a moment, taking a couple of deep breaths while looking at himself in the mirror. He had chosen to wear a sleek gray jacket layered over a dress shirt and a cerulean vest. He was starting to wonder if he had made the right choice, but he couldn't go back and change now.

Finding Bullworth Academy was easy and not just because Arnold had already been there before to look at the place. This independent boarding school was located between two bridges that connected it to the rest of the town so it was rather isolated even though the bridges weren't too time-consuming. After finding a parking spot, Arnold looked the school over. It consisted of a main building, the boys' and girls' dorms, the library and the gym. From the parking lot though, all Arnold could see was the main building.

A middle-aged woman dressed like a typical secretary in the 1950s approached Arnold. She was wearing a black woman's suit over a pale gray blouse, a matching conservative mini-skirt and dark heeled shoes. Once she was close enough, he could also see that she had pearl earrings in both ears.

"You must be Mr. Shortman, correct?" the woman asked formally and put her hands together in front of her waist.

"Yes. I'm glad to meet you." Arnold replied and offered his hand, but she just gave him a disapproving look.

"I am Miss Danvers." The woman replied instead and Arnold rubbed his neck awkwardly with the hand he had been trying to greet her with. "Welcome to Bullworth Academy." She proclaimed dramatically and then made a satisfied sigh that sounded more like something that belonged in a bedroom than in the parking lot of a boarding school. "I'm sure you will be very happy here. Very happy indeed."

"I am… sure that I will too." Arnold said, trying his best not to let his face show how uncomfortable he felt around this woman already.

"The headmaster is expecting you in his study. Come along." Miss Danvers said and gestured for the new teacher to follow her, which he did in silence.

As Arnold followed Miss Danvers through the school, he looked at the students roaming around. They were in wide ages from as young as 14 to as old as 18-years-old. The school uniform they wore didn't change from their age though. The uniform consisted of a white dress shirt and dress shoes. The school had official sweaters and vests as well, but those were optional though it seemed that most students chose to wear them. The girls wore skirts of different lengths while the boys wore either khaki pants or dress slacks. He also noticed that while most of the students were wearing ties, they didn't seem to be mandatory since a few students could be seen without them. To Arnold's surprise, the sweaters and vests came in different colors and the students seemed to be divided into different colors depending on who they were chatting with. The students in blue vests were sitting on some of the benches for example while the ones in green were hanging out near the library. Very few students were wearing light blue uniforms and even though Arnold wasn't a judgmental person, he assumed that those particular students were of a richer background based on how they were comparing their parents' latest checks.

As Arnold and Miss Danvers walked up the stairs to the main building, sirens could be heard in the distance. After seeing Miss Danvers turning around, Arnold did the same thing and saw a police car stopping in front of the school gates. After hearing Miss Danvers sigh behind him, Arnold turned around.

"They couldn't be here for one of our students, could they?"

"Oh, they most certainly are." Miss Danvers sneered with a stiff upper lip.

"But who could they be here for?"

"Oh, presumably one of those little monsters over there." Miss Danvers said and nodded her head towards four students. Arnold moved a step down to look at them properly.

It was two girls and two boys who were sitting on the ground near the main building. One of the boys had darker skin than the others though it was more mulatto-colored than dark. He was slightly taller than the other boy, but a bit more slender. He had brown hair in a low fade style with a part of it on the left, brown eyes, and he had a notable scar over his right eye. He was wearing a teal-colored Bullworth sweater vest over a gray shirt and gray school slacks. On his left wrist was a silver watch and on the right, a leather wristband. The other boy though had freckles and wore a gold stud earring on his left ear. He had a ginger buzz cut and brown eyes. He wore the blue Bullworth vest over a white shirt with khaki school slacks. One of the girls had red short hair, brown eyes and was wearing lots of rings on her fingers as well as black nail polish. She, unlike her group, wasn't wearing a vest over the white dress shirt, but was wearing an orange tartan skirt as the only student and even had black lace gloves on her arms.

It was the other girl who caught Arnold's eyes though. She was wearing the blue uniform, but had the sleeves of the dress shirt rolled up to her biceps which were rather defined, but not excessively muscular. She wore thigh-high white stockings unlike most of the other girls who wore knee-high or none at all and her blue tie was loosened sluggishly around her neck. She had long blonde hair that would probably go all the way down to her waist if she didn't have it tied up in pigtails. She had a helix chain piercing that connected to her earlobe and her eyes were big and blue with a trace of thin eyeliner and mascara around them.

"Helga Pataki!" one of the police officers called and the group on the grass looked up. As soon as they saw who was calling one of the girls, they all got up from the grass and started sprinting. The police officers told them to freeze before they started chasing them.

Arnold took a step back until he almost collided with the stone railing. He quickly looked behind him and down to the ground that was about 7 feet below him before he looked back. He saw that three of the students had run down the stairs and were now running down the pavement below him. The last one though was heading straight towards him, the blonde girl. Arnold froze as he noticed her seeing him. She almost seemed to slow down for a second, but then picked up her speed again before she jumped over the railing, using his shoulder as leverage. Arnold barely managed to turn around in shock before she had already run off with her friends.

"Mr. Shortman!" Miss Danvers called and Arnold turned around. "Are you coming?"

"Shouldn't we do something?" he asked in disbelief as he walked back to her, but couldn't help looking over his shoulder, not that he could see anything.

"What could we do?" the woman asked before she headed towards the door. "We let the police officers do their work and see whether any of those four monsters will be in their classes later or not. Besides, we shouldn't let Dr. Crabblesnitch waiting. He is a brilliant man… Brilliant."

 _Monsters? Surely they don't deserve that_ , Arnold thought, but kept quiet as he followed Miss Danvers into the school. He looked around as they headed up the woodened stairs by the end of the hall. The place was big, just like he had imagined. It had yellow tiles, the walls were painted yellow and there were banners everywhere, telling you to vote for different candidates for class president. Once they were upstairs, on the big balcony overlooking the lower floor, they headed inside to the principal's office.

Dr. Crabblesnitch's office was decorated in dark brown or red colors. His walls were adorned with pictures of former principals, a salmon on the wall and a big, stuffed bird, Arnold assumed was an eagle, but frankly he wasn't sure. There were also several bookshelves around the walls, a globe in one of the corners and a fireplace across the room. Dr. Crabblesnitch was sitting in a dark red office chair with a big mahogany desk in front of him, currently writing on some pieces of paper when Arnold came in. He was wearing a brown suit and his hair was brown, but well into the process of graying. When Arnold coughed, he looked up.

"Ah, you must be our new teacher. Shortman, was it?" Dr. Crabblesnitch asked and closed the papers.

"Yes, sir." Arnold replied politely and offered his hand which Crabblesnitch shook politely. "Dr. Crabblesnitch, may I just say that I am very grateful for this opportunity. Given my young age - - "

"I have always believed that skills have nothing to do with age, young man or else I wouldn't have hired you." Dr. Crabblesnitch interrupted and gestured towards the two chairs in front of his desk. Arnold sat down dutifully and waited for Crabblesnitch to sit back down as well, but he walked around the desk instead. "I simply called you here to welcome you to our community here at Bullworth Academy where we excel at making our pupils into respectable members of our society. I've had a good feeling about you since we talked at your interview. I am sure that you and I will make great friends and that you'll be an asset to our school."

Arnold was completely taken aback by Dr. Crabblesnitch's words. "Th-Thank you, sir. I will do my best." He promised, unsure whether he felt scared or encouraged by the clear expectations he was already met with.

"Miss Danvers, are you back yet?" Dr. Crabblesnitch asked just before Miss Danvers came jogging back with a tray. On the tray were a porcelain cup and a teapot.

"Yes, Headmaster. And I got your tea." Miss Danvers said in an adoring voice and Arnold had to hold back the urge to snicker. She was clearly smitten with him.

"You are good to me, Miss Danvers." Dr. Crabblesnitch said with a kind smile, which made Arnold wonder if he may have feelings for her as well.

"No more than you deserve, Headmaster." Miss Danvers replied with a slight blush on her cheeks and put the tray on the desk.

"Take our new teacher Shortman here and show him around the school. Make sure he meets the rest of our faculty and understands our rules here before his first lesson." Dr. Crabblesnitch ordered gently.

"Certainly, Headmaster." Miss Danvers answered and looked back at Arnold. "Come along."

 _What a clear change in tone_ , Arnold thought humorously as he started following Miss Danvers. Then he thought of something and turned around to look at Dr. Crabblesnitch again. "Sir, I don't mean to speak out of order on my first day, but…"

"I always encourage both my students and my employers to speak their mind." Dr. Crabblesnitch insisted.

"Well… I couldn't help but notice the two police officers who were looking for a Pataki. A student here. Should we do something?"

Dr. Crabblesnitch gave a tired sigh. "No, Mr. Shortman. Certain people will not have a clean nose, no matter how much you clean it for them." He replied and went back to his desk. "Pataki, like the rest of her clique or however the pupils call it, are rotten apples in this fine barrel of students. Leave such students out of your mind and focus on those who wish to learn. You are dismissed."

Arnold nodded in understanding, but was annoyed on the inside. _Rotten apples? Leave students out of my mind? And what was that about a clean nose? What a dismissive attitude towards the students here._ He thought, but then heard Miss Danvers talk and decided to think about the supposedly rotten apples later.

* * *

Miss Danvers introduced Arnold to the other teachers, one-by-one. Most of them he liked though there also those inevitable people he wasn't sure if he could ever agree with. That was a natural part of life though so he didn't let it discourage him. Miss Danvers also made sure he understood every rule and knew every classroom and building on the school grounds. She even told him about the former English teacher who was apparently at rehab though Arnold hadn't asked. Despite asking him if he had understood everything, she didn't wait for an answer from him before she had already declared that he could head towards the English classroom and start his first class with the seniors.

Arnold caught himself looking for those four students he had seen earlier that morning, but he couldn't see any of them. He decided to go through the first class in a more easy-going nature in order to give a good impression to his students and to get to know them. They played a few games and the students seemed to enjoy themselves very much. In the meantime, Arnold also got to learn more about their English skills through the games he made them play. Once his first class was over though, one of the teachers approached him, telling him his way of teaching was lacking discipline. His name was Hattrick and he was the math teacher. He was a middle aged black man and was significantly overweight. He wore a navy suit with a sky blue collared shirt and his hair was cut short and was just starting to turn gray at the temples. He offered to let Arnold observe his next math class so he could learn from him. Arnold tried to explain that he wasn't planning to make every class as easy-going as he had this first day, but Hattrick wasn't listening to him.

Mr. Hattrick briefly introduced Arnold, explained that he was here to learn how to teach properly and then told him to sit down in the corner near the writing board. As Arnold went to sit down, thinking he felt like he had just been given a timeout, another student came into classroom. His eyes widened at the sight of the slightly familiar blonde girl who looked slightly disheveled. She gave a curt excuse to Mr. Hattrick who just waved flippantly at her. She sat down at the desk near the window where Arnold was and didn't look in his direction even once.

Arnold sat in dutiful silence and observed both Mr. Hattrick and the students. When some of them complained that they didn't understand something, Mr. Hattrick would explain it again. In the exact same way, Arnold noticed. He didn't say anything though even when he noticed some students sighing in discouragement. When it happened for a third time though, Arnold felt like he had to say something. Someone else beat him to it though.

The blonde girl kicked at her desk and earned Mr. Hattrick's attention. "Do you have something to say, Miss Pataki?" he asked snappily.

"Yeah, but I doubt you'll listen." The girl replied with her foot still on the desk. "You can't just say the same thing twice, Mr. Hattrick. If people didn't understand your explanation the first time, they won't understand it the second or third time either."

Mr. Hattrick made a low sigh of irritation and then put on a tense smile. "What do you suggest then, Miss Pataki?"

"Explain it differently." The abrasive blonde stated.

"Differently?" Mr. Hattrick replied and turned back to the board. He started explaining the same problem again, but all he did was changing the words he used.

"You're just using different synonyms!" the girl declared in disbelief and despite how the other students had been looking at Mr. Hattrick in annoyance a second ago, they were looking at their blonde classmate worriedly when Mr. Hattrick turned and glared at her.

"If you are so smart, Miss Pataki, why don't you come up here and try yourself?" Mr. Hattrick asked and gestured with the piece of chalk in his hand.

"Now I have to do your job for you?" she asked sarcastically, made a groan and then got up from her desk. She grabbed the chalk and stepped up to the board once Mr. Hattrick had moved to the side, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Ok, who here don't understand how to deal with this problem? Be honest, it's easier that way."

Slowly, but surely, some of the students raised their hands. The blonde girl looked them over, contemplating them all before she started writing on the board. Arnold gazed at her in awe.

"Ok, so this method is mostly towards Parker, Tad and Bryce - - "

"You need to teach them all, Pataki." Mr. Hattrick said in a tired voice.

"And I will, Hattrick." The girl replied with a seething smirk. "But I will use different methods to teach them based on who they are as both students and people in their everyday life. Now, Parker, Tad and Bryce."

Arnold felt a smile spread on his face as the Pataki girl incorporated things from the three students' everyday life into how to solve this particular mathematical problem. The method itself was the same as Mr. Hattrick's was, but she put the problem into an everyday perspective. After declaring that they understood, Helga moved on to the next group of people and explained the same method yet again, but used words that her peers didn't just understand, but could even relate to. Arnold noticed the excited mutters between the students as the girl took them all into account and more students admitted that they didn't understand once they realized how good their blonde classmate was at explaining it in ways they could understand.

Once the brusque girl was finished, she offered the chalk to Mr. Hattrick. "This is what a good teacher does, Mr. Hattrick. He makes sure that everyone in his class understand, by any means necessary. Even if it means to actually bother getting to know them." She said in a provocatively calm voice.

Mr. Hattrick didn't say a word as he took the chalk from the girl just before the bell rang. He was seething with anger, but she clearly didn't care and simply took her bag and walked out of the classroom. Arnold had to hold back a chuckle as he thanked Mr. Hattrick for the lesson – though he felt he learned more from a student than the actual teacher - and followed the other students outside. He took a deep breath once he was outside and tried looking for the girl named Pataki, but she was nowhere in sight.

 _Is she a descendant of Houdini or something?_ Arnold wondered with a sigh and then continued through the school towards his own classroom. The day went by in a flash. Like the Pataki girl had suggested – he used that word loosely – Arnold spent his time getting to know his students and contemplate what was the best way to teach every single one of them. He asked them what their former teacher, Mr. Galloway, had focused on in his lessons and he also asked them what they would like to learn about. The students left the classroom in his spirits each time he ended a lesson and, needless to say, he felt the same when he was on his way home.

"Mr. Shortman." A male, stern voice called and Arnold turned around to see Dr. Crabblesnitch walking towards him in that dignified manner. "I have heard the students talk very fondly of your lessons today. Splendid job."

"Thank you, sir." Arnold said a bit uncertainly. Crabblesnitch's word were complimentary, but his voice didn't sound happy at all.

"However," he continued as if he had heard Arnold's thoughts. "I find it very suspicious to see students so happy after a lesson. What have you been doing?"

"Today, I decided to get to know my students, sir. In order to teach them the best way possible."

"So this gallivanting was for today only?"

"Yes, sir. I have a proper program prepared for tomorrow."

"Good. You are dismissed, Mr. Shortman." Dr. Crabblesnitch announced and turned away to walk back to his office.

Arnold couldn't help but sigh in relief. Something about that man made him feel smaller than he usually did and Arnold did his last name honor. Though he was by no means embarrassingly short, a tall girl could tower over him. That Pataki girl was as tall as he was for example.

 _What was her full name again?_ Arnold wondered as he walked down the stairs outside the main building. _Something with an H at the beginning… Hilda? That doesn't sound right. Helen? No, that doesn't sound right at all… H…_

"Helga!"

"Helga, right!" Arnold declared happily, but then looked towards the strange voice that had helped him. The red-haired girl, who had been hanging out with Helga before the police officers had arrived, had just approached said blonde girl near the girls' dorm.

"When did you get out?" the girl asked.

"As soon as they called Bob." Helga answered and crossed her arms. "He gave me an earful over the phone and then bailed me out."

"Crazy how he keeps paying."

"He doesn't want his kid in jail even if he doesn't give a shit about her. Imagine what it'd do to his reputation if it got out." Helga said and started laughing with the redhead. Arnold gawked in shock when he heard such cruel words said in that joking manner. If that was true, it was nothing to joke about in his opinion. "Anyway, Zoe. Where's Gary?"

 _Gary?_ Arnold wondered and then remembered where he had heard the name from before. He was one of the students the other teachers had warned him about. He was part of that four-leaf clover he had seen earlier that day, the ones who run from the police. He was apparently a sort of leader of the group though some of the teachers disagreed and insisted that Helga called the shots in the long run. Gary seemed to be the one in control, but if Helga wasn't up for it, the others weren't either. Arnold wasn't sure whether Gary was the mulatto or white kid though.

"Oh, yeah!" Zoe exclaimed in shock and grabbed Helga by the shoulders. "He's gone insane! He didn't see you come back so he thinks you're still in jail and now he's getting all the boys to agree to bail you out, and _not_ with money."

"Dumbass!" Helga declared in a groan. "Please tell me they aren't already on their way."

"They're sure as hell on the war path. And you know the boys, they'd follow Gary blindly to the ends of the world."

"Fucking hell!" Helga grunted and then ran towards the boys' dorm with Zoe right behind her.

Before Arnold knew what he was doing, he was following them. He wasn't quite sure why though, whether it was plain curiosity to see what would happen or if he was actually worried as a teacher. He followed them into the boys' dorm though and was met with shouting almost instantly.

"So what are we gonna do?!"

"Get Helga out!"

"That's right, ladies!"

"Gary! You're going crazy! Helga will be fine, her dad always bails her out!"

"Then why isn't she here yet, Jimmy boy?" the guy, obviously named Gary asked while throwing his arms out. The other boys cheered in agreement while Jimmy rolled his eyes.

Arnold stayed behind the opened doors to the dorm while Helga and Zoe approached the boys through the hallway and into the common room. Helga coughed to get the boys' attention, but they weren't listening. It was only the boy named Jimmy who noticed the girls and Arnold confirmed that Jimmy was the bald one of the boys. Helga waved sarcastically at Jimmy and he rolled his eyes before he gestured towards Gary, silently begging her to stop this ordeal. She walked past him to the end of the room, got on a table and then whistled loudly. Most of the boys groaned before they looked towards her.

Helga crossed her arms as she glared in Gary's direction. "I'm away for an hour and you start a prison break." She said before she jumped down from the table. She walked towards Gary who just stared at her. "Forgot to take your meds?"

Gary gave a low grunt at Helga's question before he laughed superiorly. "I was just… riling them up a little bit. This place is boring without a little excitement. Wouldn't want our people to die from boredom, would we?" he asked with an oddly confident smirk on his face, given the fact that he had just been busted for making a rash decision.

Helga rolled her eyes. "Show's over, losers. Go back to whatever you were doing before the lunatic got you over here." She said to the boys who groaned in disappointment.

"Hey, maybe we can bail Johnny Vincent out of the asylum instead?" a boy suggested.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Helga warned in annoyance and the idea was shot down instantly. Once the boys had been spread around, some of them heading outside and not even noticing Arnold, Helga glared at Gary again. "What's your problem?"

"The reason I take pills primarily, but also life, my parents, this school, western civilization. Nothing you don't already know." Gary said in a demeaning tone despite how he had been ready to break the law to get Helga out of jail.

"Speaking of which, that before was a serious question. Pills?" the blonde girl asked. Gary looked away with a frown on his face and Helga sighed. "I'll get 'em." She declared and as soon as she turned around to walk out of the common room, she noticed Arnold who flinched when their eyes met. Zoe, Jimmy and Gary noticed the way she was staring and turned to look at Arnold as well.

"What the fuck?" Zoe asked and crossed her arms. "Are you spying on your students?"

"N-No, I - - "

"Get out of here, you creep." Jimmy ordered with disgust on his face.

Arnold took a deep breath and put on a stern look. "I overheard the girls talk about what was going on in here and thought it was my duty as a teacher to make sure that things didn't go out of hand." He said.

The teenagers snickered in disbelief. "Right, because you teachers care so fucking much about us." Jimmy said which the others laughed at.

"Just get outta here, Mr. Goody-two-shoes." Helga said as she walked towards Arnold with a menacing smirk. "After a few months here at Bullworth… you'll get rid of that caring habit of yours."

Helga then moved to the left and disappeared into one of the boys' rooms with Gary following right behind her, but not before he had sent a deathly glare in Arnold's direction. Arnold looked at Jimmy and Zoe for a moment who were obviously waiting for him to leave so he did. As soon as the wind hit his face, he sighed in relief. The feeling that dorm gave him was not a good one and he jogged towards his car to get away from it as soon as possible. He sat into his car and speeded out of the school and over the bridge. It wasn't until he was in the town that he could breathe normally. He finally understood why the teachers had told called them the four-leaf clover of monsters. They stuck together, which was admirable, but they clearly didn't have any faith in the school or its faculty. He wasn't about to give up though; he couldn't do like the other teachers and sit by idly while students were being arrested, were starting riots or fighting. He was going to make life better for these students whether they liked it or not.

* * *

 **Author's 2** **nd** **note: So, the ground has been laid! The plot thickens – or it shall at least. Besides this story being a crossover, some of the themes will also be different from my former stories. I don't want to get too much into it – I don't want to give it away – but I hope that this first chapter has sparked your interest and that you'd like to continue reading it. With that being said, like I mentioned in the first author's note, I don't want to hear anyone say that they feel uncomfortable reading this (I am saying this because the story will turn darker later on) If you're uncomfortable with the themes, DO NOT READ IT. You'd think it'd be redundant of me to say this, but I have experienced people blaming me for their own discomfort even with my warnings in CAPITAL letters. So, if you can't handle it, don't be a masochist and continue reading and then blaming ME for it later if you feel scarred :P I promise my author's notes won't be this long in every chapter, but I have to say these things to keep my own back covered.**

 **And as always, if anyone is inspired to draw something based on this story, I would love to see it and maybe use it as a cover, with your approval of course! But remember (and again, I'm saying this because I've experienced people getting angry over it) I can't promise whether I'll use your picture or not as a cover if others want to try and draw something as well. You should only draw because YOU want to draw and not because you're hoping I'll use it as a cover.**


	2. Big-headed brats

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

 **They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

 **Title: "Tomboy in a dress"**

 **In the last chapter:** _ **Arnold's first day at Bullworth academy wasn't exactly a success. Within the first two minutes, he managed to see four of his future students being chased through the school by the police, only to be told that he shouldn't bother with students like that. He got a different opinion of the one named Helga though when he was in the math class in order to learn about teaching firsthand. She managed to teach her fellow students something the teacher failed to do and Arnold couldn't help but feel impressed. When Helga and her friends caught him spying at them at the dorm though, because he heard there was a commotion going on, they made it very clear that they didn't care for his attention.**_

 **Author's 1** **st** **note: So this first author's note is gonna be kinda depressing, for me at least. I have to be honest and say that I was pretty sad to see only two familiar names among my reviews. I don't think I've ever experienced this little interest in a new story of mine and I'm not entirely sure why that is because I was pretty sure I hit the nail on the head with this one – or however that saying goes xD I hope that some people are just waiting to see how this develops before reviewing this time, but I'll say this very clearly: I will not stop writing this anytime soon so if you're hoping that I will change over to something else because this story isn't as popular as some of my others, I have to disappoint you. I've been waiting to write this particular story and it's a long term one so if you don't want to read this story, you're gonna have to wait for your usual AiraChica fix :P Haha - Anyways, to those of you who are interested; enjoy! :D**

 **[Please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 2: "Big-headed brats"

"Helga, wake up… Helga." A quiet, female voice whispered in the blonde girl's ear.

Helga stirred. "Is it morning already?" she asked as she kicked her duvet off, showing the hot pink, much too big t-shirt she was wearing.

"Kind of." Zoe replied. "It's 3am."

"3am?!" Helga repeated in shock and sat up straight. "Crazy bitch! The school better be on fucking fire!"

"Kinda the opposite." Zoe explained. Helga quirked one of her thick eyebrows at the casual response, but got out of the bed when Zoe gestured for her to follow her. Helga pulled on a pair of denim shorts and her one pair of black ankle boots before she snuck out of her room with Zoe.

"Where are you taking me?" Helga asked once they were outside.

"Jimmy and Gary told me to take you to the hole."

Helga halted at that information. "You'd better not be planning to sic Russell on me." she warned with a deathly as she remembered the last poor creature that had been tricked to go to meet Gary at the hole. He had left with broken bones.

"You're too paranoid!" Zoe insisted and took Helga's hand. "It's gonna be fun!"

"I'm _paranoid_?" Helga asked. "I need to be less around Gary if _I'm_ getting paranoid."

Zoe snickered and they continued around the school until they reached the stairs leading to the basement. Jimmy and Gary had already unlocked it for the girls so they entered easily. After going through several rooms, they finally reached the hole. Helga's eyes widened at the sight of what used to be a big arena-like hole, but was now filled to the brink with water.

"Do I want to know how much water waste you've just committed?" Helga asked and looked around for the boys, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Who cares?! It's our own personal swimming pool!" Zoe said excitedly and started pulling her white tank top off her body, exposing the red bra to her friend. "Get your ass in there!"

Helga watched as Zoe jumped into the water, wearing nothing but her underwear. "Don't you find it suspicious that the boys are missing out on an opportunity to see us get naked?" she asked with a suspicious smile on her face.

"They're probably hoping for some lesbian action." Zoe said before splashing some water at Helga.

"Maybe Jimmy, but I really can't imagine Gary being into that."

"You're probably right; he's too jealous." Zoe agreed with a nod.

 _Sure. Let's call it jealous_ , Helga thought and started pulling her t-shirt over her head. Her boots and shorts soon followed, but before she could jump into the water, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her and held her back.

"Cowabunga!" Jimmy's voice shouted before he came running out of nowhere and made a cannonball into the homemade pool. Zoe shrieked playfully when the water hit her face and Jimmy laughed heartily.

Helga turned her head and looked at Gary's scarred face. "What prompted this sudden urge for a private pool?"

"Yeah!" Zoe agreed. "It's not like you guys need an excuse to see us naked."

"It's just for fun!" Jimmy answered before he threw himself at Zoe who swam away.

"I had a stroke of genius. We are the king and queen of this school!" Gary answered Helga before he licked her neck in a way that could only resemble that of someone putting their mark on someone.

"You are a megalomaniac." Helga stated, unfazed by his licking.

"A mega-what?" Jimmy asked and stopped tickling Zoe.

"It means that he has a big head." Zoe explained before she pounced on Jimmy again.

"If anyone's got a big head around here, it's that new teacher." Gary argued and let go of Helga.

"Yeah. Seriously, how does that guy go through doors?" Jimmy joked.

"I didn't mean literally, you moron." Gary sneered, but kept the usual superior smile on face. "I mean, who does he thinks he is? Prancing around like he owns the place, spying on us?"

"Oh, it'll blow over soon." Zoe insisted dismissively. "Give him some time and he'll lose his spine like the others."

"I'm not too sure." Helga insisted and strolled towards the water, knowing very well that she had the full attention of her three friends. "If the rumors are correct… he actually took the advice I gave to Mr. Hattrick seriously. He's been asking his students what they'd like to learn about."

"He's nothing to worry about." Zoe argued and swam towards Helga. "Let him have his fun. He's, what, 20-years-old? Of course he's gonna be all excited and full of hope. After a month at Bullworth, that'll die."

Helga shrieked when Zoe grabbed her by her ankle and pulled her into the water. "Bitch!" she shouted once she had resurfaced and started swimming after her, laughing with gusto as she did so.

* * *

"Today, I would like to give you all your first assignment. Now, please listen before you groan." Mr. Shortman said in a chuckle. "It'll be a very simple assignment and you have the rest of the class to finish it. As you know, Shakespeare was famous for his sonnets as well as his plays and we will be having him as a theme for some time. I will slowly introduce you to his sonnets and plays, but I thought we should start out light. So today, you will write a sonnet. It should have three quatrains and one couplet. You also have to write it in iambic pentameter. Do you know all know what that means?"

After getting a few head nods, the young teacher decided it might be best to explain it further just in case. One student in particular was actually listening for the first time in what felt like forever. Mr. Galloway, the former English teacher, never focused much on poetry and even though she'd sooner bite her own tongue off than admitting it, Helga Pataki did have a soft spot for poetry. The new teacher annoyed the living hell out of her, but he had at least decided on an interesting subject; to her at least. As she looked around, she saw that several of her classmates were sighing in anxiety or in boredom. Gary wasn't present as usual, but she imagined he would have left the moment he even heard the famous bard's name.

Helga gave Mr. Shortman a bit of a look when he handed her a piece of paper. On it was what looked like template for writing a sonnet. The blonde girl rolled her eyes before grabbing her notebook and starting to write in that instead. She didn't need a template to write a sonnet, it wasn't that difficult. How old did he think they were? They were seniors, for crying out loud! Helga would turn 18-years-old just before their graduation and some were already 18. What made him think they couldn't handle this little? _Then again_ , Helga admitted in her head, _most of these people are idiots_.

"You can leave once you've finished your sonnets, but I will take a look at what you've written first to make sure that you've followed the rules." Mr. Shortman said with that annoyingly charming smile of his and sat down. "You may begin now."

Helga looked up from her notebook and noticed that the blonde teacher had grabbed a book. She narrowed her eyes before remembering that narrowing your eyes didn't make your vision any better and then leaned over her desk instead. _Shakespeare, no surprise there. He probably needs to study his own subject_. She thought and went back to her sonnet. She decided to finish it as quickly as possible so she could get out of there and go find Gary. She had a feeling he hadn't taken his pill this morning either. All things considered, this morning wasn't like any other because of the homemade pool so there was a chance he had genuinely forgotten about it. Though she doubted that would be his reason for not taking that pill. Sometimes she wondered if he would have joined Johnny Vincent at the asylum by now if she hadn't been there.

After about fifteen minutes, Helga got up from her seat and walked towards the teacher's desk. He looked at her in surprise at first, but then quirked an eyebrow. "You've finished already?"

"Yes, sir." Helga said with a sarcastic smirk and put the paper on his desk. Mr. Shortman made a small sigh and then grabbed the paper to read it. The skepticism faded from his face and changed into disbelief. Once he had finished reading, he looked up at Helga who had a bored expression on her face. "May I leave now?"

"Y-Yes…" Mr. Shortman stuttered, but as soon as she had taken the first couple of step towards the door, he continued speaking. "But I wish to speak with you outside first."

Helga glared at Mr. Shortman, briefly wondering what he could possibly have in mind. Then she decided that he probably just wanted to scold her for both her and her friends' behavior the day before. Once they were outside the door, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with her boot resting against it. Mr. Shortman gave her a bit of a disapproving look, but she paid it no mind.

"What do you want?"

Mr. Shortman waved the paper in his hand. "This is amazing." He stated simply. "It's dark and kind of twisted, but extremely captivating."

Helga's head flinched in surprise, but her stern expression stayed on. "You seem shocked." She observed, but frankly she was the one who was shocked. No teacher had ever pulled her aside to give her a compliment. She didn't remember anyone complimenting her poems, never mind anything else about her persona.

"Perhaps a little bit." Mr. Shortman admitted. "Based on my first impression of you, I didn't think that you would be… well. I was just - - "

"Judging me solidly based on my looks?" Helga asked and felt a crooked smirk grow on her face. "Mr. Shortman, I believe I've just caught you stereotyping me."

"Not solidly based on your looks. You were arrested by the police just yesterday, that's a consequence of a crime you must have committed." Mr. Shortman argued, but then made a small sigh. "But… I admit I may have been too quick to put you into a box. I am pleasantly surprised."

"Not good enough." Helga stated without knowing why. A second ago, she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Why was she still talking to this man? Well, guy. He couldn't be more than 20-years-old, that was only 3 years older than her. He didn't feel like a man.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Shortman asked with a confused expression that sent a sort of kick through her.

"I want an apology." Helga explained.

The young teacher stared at her for a moment before he coughed in annoyance. "Very well. I am sorry."

"Whoa, you didn't even _try_ to sell that, did you?" Helga asked sarcastically. "Your acting skills are lacking, Mr. Shortman."

"Don't push me, Miss Pataki." He said with a bit of an annoyed glare.

Helga snorted. "No offense, but you're not exactly intimidating. Anyways, I'm done with my sonnet and you promised we could leave by then so I won't stay around here, hoping for a sincere apology that won't come." She stated and started walking. It wasn't a surprise to her; be it apologies or promises, people were completely unreliable. The people she grew up being surrounded by made sure to teach her that.

"I'm sorry." A voice said behind her and she turned to stare at the owner. "I mean it. I shouldn't have judged you."

Helga didn't say anything and just turned around to keep walking. Mr. Shortman's words kept echoing in her head though. He seemed honest though she wasn't sure if she believed her own instincts. Her gut feeling had never failed her before, but there was no way that Mr. Shortman could possibly have changed his mind about her so easily based on a simple poem. She was still in the same box as she was in everybody else's head and she wanted to stay there. Anywhere else would be out of her comfort zone.

Helga headed straight to the boys' dorm, ignoring the few looks she got from some of the boys and headed inside Gary's room without knocking. She looked around in the messy, typical boy's room, but he was nowhere in sight. She closed the door behind her and walked through the room to get his pills. If he wasn't here to take them himself, she would bring them to him if she had to. As soon as she had grabbed the pill bottle, she felt her wrists being pulled behind her in a strong hold.

"Stealing my pills, are you?" a familiar voice asked and Helga growled at him over her shoulder.

"You have to stop doing that, my nerves can't handle it anymore." She ordered, but rather than letting go, he pulled her closer until her back was against his chest and she could feel the stubble of his chin on her cheek.

"And you shouldn't sneak into the boys' dorm. You know how they all want a piece of you."

Helga rolled her eyes. "You're the only one insane enough to want a piece of me. Speaking of insane…" she said and wiggled her hand to make the pills loud enough for him to hear. "Let me go and take your pill."

"You're gonna have to choose one." The brown-haired boy said and she could feel him smirk.

"Pill."

"Like I hoped." Gary stated simply and let go of Helga's right hand. He unscrewed the lid as she kept it steady, took a pill, swallowed it and then put the glass back in the drawer. "I've taken my pill like a good boy."

"Good boy?" Helga repeated in disbelief and snorted. "A good boy would take the damn pill on his own."

"Shouldn't I get a reward?" Gary asked, ignoring Helga's comment.

"You're asking as if I have a choice." the blonde girl declared over her shoulder.

Gary hummed. "You're right. I'll just take my reward then." He announced before he swung his free arm under her legs and pulled her up into his arms. She left them soon though when he threw her on his bed and mounted her instantly.

* * *

"Feeding time at the zoo." Helga mumbled as she and Gary entered the cafeteria. The other students at the school were all sitting in their self-chosen cliques, doing what they did best. The nerds were playing Grottos and Gremlins, the jocks were arm-wrestling and the preppies were discussing economy though they frankly didn't know enough about money to be realistic in their conversation.

After seeing the lunch lady spit into the food, both the blonde girl and brown-haired boy groaned in disgust. "I suddenly lost my appetite. I'm gonna go find Jimmy." Gary declared.

"You really should eat something." Helga stated in a huff.

"You sound like a mom." Gary said with a smirk as he turned his head to look at her though he didn't stop walking.

"How would you know?" Helga asked with a similar smirk on her face.

Gary stopped and turned fully around. "I could ask you the same thing." He said as a final remark and then continued through the cafeteria.

 _Indeed you could_. Helga thought as she looked around. Zoe was nowhere nearby and Helga wasn't in the mood to ruin Mandy's day so she figured she might as well head towards the food. If you could call it that. She could hear the lunch lady cough into the food and Helga shivered again. Edna would always say there wasn't any fussy eaters at Bullworth Academy and she was right about that; those who were fussy eaters would leave the second they saw the cafeteria. That didn't mean Helga cared for the food though.

As Helga neared the food, she noticed someone talking to Edna. "Um, you'd better use that meat soon. It says it expires today." He told her kindly as he gazed at a package of meat.

"Nonsense. It'll last for a month!" Edna insisted dismissively and sneezed into the pot she was currently stirring with a spoon.

"Oh, Edna. You sure have a lot of faith in our stomachs." Helga declared despite not being particularly interested in starting a conversation with that disgusting woman. It was the fact that Mr. Shortman was right next to her that made her talk. "The fact that people would rather go all the way into town to eat than to go anywhere near your food doesn't tell you that your way of thinking is fucked up?"

"Language, you little brat!" Edna said as she waved her spoon around.

"If _you_ had better language you might have made something of yourself." Helga argued and smirked mockingly in Mr. Shortman's direction. "You could have become a teacher."

Mr. Shortman glared deeply at her, but Helga didn't care. There was no way she would let him think that a compliment and an apology were enough to change her attitude or her opinion of him or anything else having to do with this school. She grabbed a trey and a bowl of whatever garbage Edna had been cooking and then left to find a table. Before she could sit down though, she heard her name being called and she turned to see Lola waving at her with her fingers. She had that damned, sexy smile on her face as she always had no matter who she looked at. Helga considered ignoring the silent request, but rolled her eyes and headed towards her.

As soon as Helga sat down, Lola was chewing her ear off. Helga knew exactly why Lola, the only girl in the Greaser clique, was interested in talking with her. It was because of the simple fact that Lola saw boys as trophies and Gary was the only boy whom she had never been able to twirl around her little finger. The fact that Helga was even allowed to go into his room was an achievement in Lola's eyes and she had tried getting closer to the blonde girl ever since she found out about it. Helga figured that Lola was trying to pick up on what Gary thought was attractive about Helga, but she had been unsuccessful so far. If Lola had been honest about it, Helga would have given her the answer a long time ago.

Gary didn't find Helga attractive whatsoever. He didn't find anyone attractive. She was his outlet, the same way he was hers. They were damaged people who needed a punching bag and that was what they were for each other; a thing they could take their anger out on. If anyone would ever witness them having sex they would realize that in a second. It was never romantic or gentle, it wasn't even passionate. It was animalistic, violent and sometimes one of them or both ended up bruised. The worst Helga had ever experienced was a broken pelvis while Gary had broken a rib once. The fact that people thought they were an actual couple was laughable to them both.

"Stay here too long and your hair will get greasy." Zoe's voice joked behind Helga. Lola cringed at the sight of the redhead before she huffed and got up from the chair. She and the few Grease balls that had been sitting there moved to another table. "And eat that and your stomach will be what gets greasy."

Helga huffed as Zoe sat down next to her, moving one leg over the bench at the time. "Tell me something I don't know." Helga argued as she used her spoon to stir the gray mass. "We should get that woman fired."

"And risk getting someone even worse?"

"Who could be worse?"

Zoe shrugged. "Someone who'd put one of Ms. Philip's cats in the casserole?" she suggested and Helga cringed her nose as she pushed the bowl away from her. "Let's blow this place."

"To do what instead?" Helga asked suspiciously. If Zoe was smiling the way she was right now, it meant she had something up her sleeve. As if on cue, the redhead pulled a joint out of the pocket of her skirt. "Zoe…"

"Don't say my name like that. You look like you need this too."

"Too?" Helga repeated as she got up from the bench. "Why do you need it?"

"Let's just say that Jimmy is being a bitch."

Helga cooed sarcastically as she followed Zoe out of the cafeteria. "Did you bring out the handcuffs too early?"

Zoe pushed at Helga's shoulder in disgust. "Don't force you and Gary's fucked up sexual habits on us."

"We don't need handcuffs."

"I can imagine." Zoe stated as she touched the newest very dark hickey on Helga's throat. She shook her head. "Why do you let him abuse you like that?"

"Because it's a give and take deal. Now, why are you pissed at Jimmy?"

"He's just being his usual dumbass self. Nothing new."

"So you decide to punish him by taking _me_ out to get high instead of him?"

"A perfect passive-aggressive message."

"Jimmy's too stupid to get it. He doesn't even know what passive-aggressive is." Helga insisted as she sat down on the grass. Zoe parked herself next to her, grabbed her lighter and lit the joint. "When's the last time we did this?"

"Before summer I think." Zoe replied before she blew the smoke out between her red lips. "Which I can feel is way too long ago."

"Don't get sick on me."

"I'm not _that_ weak." Zoe replied before offering Helga the joint. The blonde girl took a small huff from it and then let the joint hang between her fingers. "That's it?"

"Hey, I'm not as addicted to this shit as you are. I need to take it slow, unless you want my puke on you."

"Fuck no. Keep that inside you." Zoe answered, grabbed the joint and took another long huff from it. "Did I see you talking to Mr. Shortman earlier?"

"Yeah, for like a second. The man is fucking weird. He actually apologized to me this morning."

Zoe choked on the joint and waved the smoke away. "What for?" she asked and hid the joint behind her back when a prefect walked by.

"For being shocked I could write decent poetry."

"Oh, right. That one thing about you that doesn't fit in anywhere."

"Artists are often dark and twisted people, you know."

"You've gotten the dark and twisted part down alright." Zoe agreed and took another huff before giving it back to Helga. She was starting to get an unfocused look in her brown eyes.

"I think I'll smoke the rest." Helga declared and took a longer suck on it this time. Her eyes caught some boys walking towards them and she sighed. "Hope you're ready to get an earful for not sharing this with them."

Zoe looked towards the boys and groaned. "Would you hate me if I ran for it?"

"You _can't_ run when you've been smoking, you know that. You look like Bambi on ice when you do."

"Oh, great. Compare me to a clumsy deer whose mother gets shot. Classic." Zoe teased and stuck her tongue out at Helga.

"How rude!" Gary said as if he was in shock. "How dare you smoke a doobie without sharing it with your favorite people?"

Zoe looked around. "I don't see anyone here fitting that description."

Jimmy frowned deeply at the comment and crossed his arms. "Why are you being such a bitch today?"

"Me?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not gonna stay here and listen to this lovers' quarrel. You coming, Helga?" he asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

Helga took another whiff of the joint, but as soon as she stood up, she heard a voice yell her name. "Miss Pataki, are you smoking on the school grounds?" Mr. Shortman asked with more of a shocked expression than a demeaning one.

"Fuck…" Zoe hissed dizzily.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Gary asked though, completely indifferent to the presence of a teacher.

"Smoking on school grounds is not allowed and…" Mr. Shortman started, but then started sniffing the air once he was close enough. "That's Marijuana, isn't it?"

"So what if it is? It's a free country." Gary said with a warning glare that Mr. Shortman either ignored or didn't notice. Helga wasn't sure which one it was.

"Were you all smoking?" Mr. Shortman asked.

"No, just me." Helga replied with hesitation.

Mr. Shortman looked at her as if he didn't believe her, but then sighed. "I will have to ask you to join me for detention for the rest of the lunch break, Miss Pataki." He said as if it hurt him to say that. It made no sense; teachers loved giving detentions for no good reason after all.

"Who the fuck do you think you - - " Gary said as he was stalking towards Mr. Shortman, ready to pounce on him if Helga read the danger signals correctly. She grabbed him by the shoulder though and he turned to glare at her in confusion.

"Pick me up in 10 minutes." The blonde girl whispered.

"What?" Gary hissed.

"This is my chance to show him how things work here." Helga explained, patted his shoulder and then followed Mr. Shortman away from her friends. Gary still looked like someone who wanted to punch someone's face in, but he had to do with kicking a nearby trashcan. Zoe sighed in clear dismay at getting her friend in trouble while Jimmy was trying to console her. They had already forgotten their former spat.

Helga followed Mr. Shortman through the school until they reached the English classroom. Helga sat down on a desk right in front of the teacher's desk and Mr. Shortman sat down as well, looking at her as if he was waiting for her to speak. "If you think your eyes can talk, it's not a language I understand." She said with her lips pursed in annoyance.

Mr. Shortman sighed. "I'm just wondering how someone like you ended up like this." He admitted.

"Someone like me?"

"Someone with such a natural flair for poetry!" Mr. Shortman insisted.

Helga snorted. "You do realize most poets were sad, lonely, angry people, right? You need to have darkness in your life in order to shine light in others."

Mr. Shortman gazed at her in awe for a moment. "You could do something big with your life, Miss Pataki."

"Sure because famous poets live long and happy lives."

"You're a smart girl, I've gathered that much."

"So?"

" _So_ why are you doing such stupid things? Getting in trouble with the law, smoking cannabis, hanging out with someone like Gary Smith."

"Because I'm like you; smart, but incredibly stupid."

"How am I stupid, Miss Pataki?" Mr. Shortman asked patiently.

"If you had a brain to match that big head of yours, you'd realize that you shouldn't disturb a lion's nest."

Mr. Shortman blinked. "You're comparing yourself to a lion?"

"It's a metaphor, not a simile." Helga argued with an arrogant smirk and leaned back in the chair. "It means that you shouldn't provoke something that's more powerful than you are."

"Are you threatening me, Miss Pataki?" Mr. Shortman asked in genuine surprise rather than loathing.

"See it as a friendly warning. I don't care about your ideals, Mr. Shortman. You'll soon learn that good intentions count for nothing around here." Helga spoke matter-of-factly. _Finally_ , she thought as she marveled in the slight fear on the teacher's face. _He seems to get it now_.

Just as Helga moved to stand up though, Mr. Shortman spoke again. "Then it's a good thing I'm not just all talk." He said. The blonde girl stared at him in paralyzation. "I have good intentions and I intend to act on them. I didn't come to this school just to teach English, I want to make a difference for those who will let me. I'm not just going to be another teacher who won't listen to you. If you will let me, I'll help you."

The shock on Helga's face, which had been there since she heard the word _intentions_ coming out of his mouth, faded into anger. "You pompous, assuming bastard." She hissed. "You think I need saving? Like I'm some kind of charity? Good intentions, my ass! You're just arrogant and self-righteous!"

"What?" Mr. Shortman bellowed in shock. "N-No! That's now that I meant. I - - "

"That's exactly what you meant! Your life is perfect so you're just doing your civic duty by helping a sad little damsel in distress, aren't you? Let me make something very clear; I might not be a saint, but I'll be damned before I let some sanctimonious asshole use me as a way to fuel his own ego. I don't need anyone's help; I may have been alone since I was born, but I can at least look myself in the eye and know that my strength is my own."

Mr. Shortman was staring at the girl in shock. He hadn't expected a confession disguised as an outburst. He had clearly, albeit unintentionally, hit a nerve. He was wondering how many people before him had hit that same nerve when she suddenly stalked towards him. His eyes were glued to hers until she moved a leg over his lap. He stared from one thigh to another, her skirt pushing up to her hips as she straddled him. He wasn't a man that usually resolved to swearing unless the situation called for it and there had never been a situation that called as much for expletives as this one did.

"Tell me, Mr. Shortman." Helga said in a much too calm voice for his liking. "What do you think would happen if I decided to make a very loud, suggestive voice right now?"

"Wha - - "

"My guess is that someone would come in and see us in this very compromising position. Then what happens? You as a teacher would be fired if not worse… Me, on the other hand, won't even get expelled." She said quietly and then leaned closer until she could feel how soft his cheek was. "All because I'm the daughter of _Big Bob Pataki_ …"

Helga had whispered that name in a menacing, threatening way and if you knew who Big Bob Pataki was, you would know why. Bob Pataki was a self-made man who had struggled from being the king of beepers, to ruler of technology and finally _the man_ to go to if you needed anything economical. He was a powerful, rich, influential figure in both Hillwood and Bullworth. He owned most of both towns and that meant that Helga was as untouchable as if she was the daughter of a politician. Which also explained why one phone call to Bob was all she needed to get out of prison. It probably had nothing to do with the bail money.

The sound of someone knocking on the door caused Arnold Shortman to instantly panic, but it seemed like Helga wasn't interested in being caught either. She moved away from him just in time for Gary to open the door. "This detention is over." The young man stated resolutely with a bored expression on his face.

"I believe Mr. Shortman agrees." The blonde girl stated, cast one glance in Arnold's direction and then headed towards Gary. They closed the door behind them, leaving Arnold behind.

He wanted to, but he didn't dare breathe in relief. He was frozen to his chair, his knuckles turning white from gripping the armrest too tightly. Once again, he understood why his colleagues called them the four-leaf clover of little monsters; but he now knew who he believed was the true leader of that group. It could only be Helga Pataki. Arnold was not a person to get easily discouraged though. He had experienced troublesome people before and dealt with them even when he was told it would be smarter to leave them be. He had taught a bully not to bully, helped his town be a part of history, saved his neighborhood from being destroyed and so much more. If he could do all that in only one year of his childhood, he could deal with four big-headed brats.

* * *

 **Author's 2** **nd** **note: Arnold's first English assignment is based on what my own English teacher is doing with us right now. We're studying Shakespeare and we were asked to write a sonnet of our own. Mine is based on something a classmate of mine said during social studies, and since he pissed me off that much, then I will probably make a "My life goes Disney" comic based on it. If you're watching me on deviantArt you will probably see it on probably Tuesday :P**


	3. HIATUS

Hi everybody. As you can probably already see, this is not an actual new chapter. This is more of a declaration that I'm not exactly fond or proud of. Truth be told, as much as I looked forward to start and write this story, I've noticed in myself that there's too many things going on around me in my life right now to be writing a story like this. Not writing in general, but writing a story that will be as angsty as this will be in later chapters. Writing fanfiction is supposed to be my haven, my sanctuary so to speak, the place I go to when I want to forget the world around me and get lost in a fantasy. Unfortunately, writing an angsty fanfiction isn't really a proper sanctuary for me at the moment - with everything going on in my real life. So I unfortunately have to put this story on an indefinite hiatus. I am really sorry about this, I know how much it sucks when you get into a story and then the writer puts a stop to it. I hope people will remember that I'm just a human being too and I have to listen to my body and my mind. Unfortunately my choices here are either putting this story on an impermanent hold until I feel ready to continue it again (and risk not writing fanfiction for who knows how many months) or putting a hiatus on this story and starting a new one so people will still get a story from me. I figured the latter option was the more desirable one for all of us.

Speaking of a new story, you can expect the first chapter of my new story in a few hours (perhaps less - I just need to write a summary I can be satisfied with). I didn't want to put this disclaimer on this story before I had the first chapter ready for the new story, which is also why it took me this long to make this clear to you guys. Again, I hope you guys can understand this. I don't feel I can do much else at this point.


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